If you have ever watched the TV show Golden Girls, you will remember sassy Sophia Petrillo saying,“Picture this…Sicily–it was 1950.” Well, I am going to steal her style and say Picture this….New Canaan, Connecticut…West School--it was 1977.
I was in Mrs. Cilo’s first-grade class with my best friend Cindy; we met when we were four years old. We were thrilled to be in the same class that year and even more excited when Mrs. Cilo announced that our class would be putting on the play The Wizard of Oz. I lost my seven-year-old mind! This was my favorite movie! This was before streaming and even pre-VHS or Beta. If a kid wanted to watch The Wizard of Oz, he or she would have to scope out the TV Guide for weeks and wait for the announcement. This beloved film aired on Sunday nights so kids everywhere had to start begging weeks in advance in order to stay up. Parents were often relieved because if they thought the witch was too scary, kids would miss when she kidnapped Dorothy. That green-faced hag stowed her away in the spooky castle guarded by soldiers, and the flying monkeys alone were what nightmares were made of. I was lucky because birth order was on my side. Being the third child with an infant brother, my parents were worn down easily when I begged to be allowed to stay up.
When I found out there were going to be auditions, I was ready. I wanted to be Dorothy in the worst way. I had gotten the doll for Christmas and had every word of “Over The Rainbow” memorized. Then the unthinkable happened! I had a fever the day of the auditions. When I returned a few days later, I found out that my very best friend landed the role of Dorothy. I was so disappointed but also grateful that it went to her and not to another girl who showed the writing on the wall of being a mean girl even as a first grader. To my horror, the only two roles left were a munchkin and the hated Wicked Witch of the West. Instantly I knew it was absurd that I was a munchkin for I was the tallest person in the class. I gave in and chose to be the witch.
I barely made it off the bus that afternoon before I burst into tears. I did not want to be ugly. I did not want to be hated. I was stuck in a role I did not want to play. My older brother and sister were my biggest cheerleaders; they thought it was so cool that I got to be mean. My mother got me green makeup, and I borrowed a witch costume from my friend Emily. I was going to rock this role!
The day of the play came and I channeled my best Margaret Hamilton possible. My cackles and sarcastic use of “my little pretty” when addressing Dorothy were spot on. The hot stage lights felt like they were causing the green makeup to melt down my face, but this seemed fitting. Dorothy aka Cindy threw white little pieces of paper from a bucket instead of water. I shrieked “I’m melting” in terror and fell straight backward to my demise. I received a standing ovation when it was my turn to bow. My sister told me that all of her classmates said that I stole the show. It was the first of many times that I would have to “build character” and make lemonade out of lemons.
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